Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 12

5
Who
The durable soft electronics could be used in wearable electronics and soft robotics and could someday be part of a
stretchable smartphone.
What
Skin-like electronic circuits are soft
and stretchy, sustain numerous damage
events under load without losing
electrical conductivity, and can be
recycled to generate new circuits at
the end of a product's life. Current
consumer devices, such as phones
and laptops, contain rigid materials
that use soldered wires running
throughout. The new circuits replace
these inflexible materials with soft
electronic composites and tiny, electricity-conducting
liquid metal drop -
lets that are initially dispersed in an
elastomer - a type of rubbery polymer
- as electrically insulated discrete
drops. To make the circuits, the
Why
The soft electronics are part of a rapidly emerging field that gives gadgets a level of durability that would have been
impossible just a few years ago. At the end of a gadget's life, the metal droplets and the rubbery materials can be
reprocessed and returned to a liquid solution, effectively making them recyclable.
When
While a stretchy smartphone has not yet been made, rapid development in the field also holds promise for wearable
electronics and soft robotics. The team is making progress and envisions these materials as key components for soft
circuitry that could survive in a variety of real-world applications.
Contact: Brandy Salmon, Associate Vice President for Innovation and Partnerships, at brandy.salmon@vt.edu; 540-231-7860.
12
Cov
www.techbriefs.com
ToC
Tech Briefs, September 2021
Ws of Puncture-Proof
Soft Electronics
Current passes through a self-healing circuit. (Photo by Alex Parrish)
researchers introduced a scalable approach through embossing, which allows them to rapidly create tunable circuits
by selectively connecting droplets. If a hole is punched in the circuits, the metal droplets can still transfer power.
Instead of cutting the connection completely as in the case of a traditional wire, the droplets make new connections
around the hole to continue passing electricity. The circuits will also stretch without losing their electrical connection,
as the team pulled the device to more than 10 times its original length without failure.
Where
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia

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Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021

Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - Intro
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - Sponsor
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - Cov1
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - Cov2
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 1
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 2
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 3
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 4
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 5
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 6
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 7
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 8
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 9
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 10
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 11
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 12
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 13
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 14
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 15
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 16
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 17
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 18
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Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 24A
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 24B
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 24C
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 24D
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 25
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 26
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Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - 64
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - Cov3
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - Cov4
Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - PIT-Cov1
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Tech Briefs Magazine - September 2021 - PIT-Cov3
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